Conquered
by kittymouse
Summary: Takes place after the game. Malkuth has been conquered by an unknown force and is now under the rule of a new emperor. The group must gather again to try to free Malkuth. Focuses on Jade, but all characters are involved. As usual, bad summary...
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This was originally something I was just writing now and then for myself, but I figured that maybe I'd give posting it a shot. It starts right in the middle of things, but an explanation will come. Yay in media res. (hopes she spelled it correctly). I had no title for it, so I'm making do…I suck at titles.

Conquered

Ch.1

The guard opened the cell door hesitantly. Even though the prisoner within was chained, he was still nervous. He stepped in swallowing hard and nearly jumped back as the bowed head raised and red eyes glinted in the torchlight. The guard fingered the syringe as he approached the prisoner.

"Back again are we?" The voice was hoarse, but there was still a light conversational tone that, if anything scared the guard more. He gritted his teeth and roughly grabbed the prisoner's arm.

The prisoner glanced at his chained arms and down to his equally bound legs. "Is this really necessary?" He asked continuing to sound conversational.

The guard scowled at him. "His Magnificence deems it so." His scowl deepened as a low chuckle emerged from the prisoner's lips. "Shut your mouth." The prisoner ignored him, continuing to look amused.

"Magnificence? I knew he was humble, but really…" Sarcasm dripped from the man's voice still laced with that irritating amusement.

"Thank Yulia, you'll be executed soon."

"Am I really that much trouble? I'm flattered."

"Let's see how flattered you'll be when your ass is sinking to the bottom of the ocean." All nervousness had left the guard to be replaced with irritation at the prisoner's smug arrogance. Well, that would end soon. He plunged the syringe into the man's arm and stepped back to make sure the drug did its job. The man had been standing erect when the guard had entered, as erect as any man could be when chained to a wall, but now the strength seemed vanish. The prisoner sagged, only the chains holding him up.

The guard let loose a chuckle. What had he been worried about? "So, this is the famous Jade the Necromancer. Look at you now." The head raised and narrowed scarlet eyes gazed at him. There still seemed to be an intensity to that stare despite the haziness clouding it from the drug induced fever now coursing through the prisoner's body. He backed away and left the cell, slamming the heavy door behind him and feeling a little less smug and a little more disturbed.

The cell was cast into complete darkness much to Jade's relief. At least now he wouldn't be able to actually see the room spinning. His head was starting to throb while his stomach tried to make him believe he had food to get rid of. There had been the bread and water…when had that been? He tried to gather his thoughts. It seemed his execution was swiftly approaching and he still hadn't figured out how to get out of this. The door opened shedding light into the cell. A man swiftly approached and undid the chains binding his arms. Jade tried to do something but could only fall forward. The man clamped manacles around his wrists and bent to undo the ankle chains. Jade found himself blinking in the sunlight in front of the chopping block. The blade swung down and Jade's eyes snapped opened. He must have fallen asleep or passed out; he was in darkness once more and bound to the wall. He sighed. Now he was dreaming of dying before it even happened – hardly a good use of his time. He tried to fight through the fog in his head, figure a way out of the cell.

"O maddening gale of shpirits…" His voice slurred and he stopped to try again. "O maddening gale of the spirits of the earth…Stalagmite!" He could feel the fonons gather for a moment before they dissipated uselessly. He sagged against the chains, exhaustion clouding his consciousness. A sickening smell reached him and he slowly realised with a grimace that he been sick. He was slipping in and out of awareness. He wondered how much time had passed before he noticed that he had vomited. He sagged against the chains, the little strength that he had managed to gather melting away.

Jade slowly opened his eyes to the sound of his cell door being opened. Weak light crept in outlining two guards. Jade forced his head up feeling as though even that simple task was a massive undertaking. The guards marched forward and one started undoing the manacles. The other swiftly replaced them with another pair before Jade could quite get a grasp on what was happening.

"Hrmph. I expected this to be more difficult," the guard who had placed the new pair on Jade commented.

"The drugs have him pretty out of it," the other responded while bending down to unlock the ankle chains. He hesitated and looked at his partner. "Hey, get the gag on 'im, will you?"

"Uh, right." The guard forced a cloth into Jade's mouth and tied the ends at the back tightly. "Do you really think his artes are much of a threat right now?"

"Do you know want to risk it?" The chains came lose and for a moment Jade felt relief at the lifting of the pressure and accompanying pain, but the feeling was short lived as another pair was clamped on. "Right, let's get going."

"I don't understand why this had to wait so long."

"I'm sure His Majesty," Jade clenched his jaw, "has his reasons," the guard said idly. "Not for us to question. Anyway, I'm more curious as to why he hasn't killed Peony. Emperor and all, you'd think His Majesty'd be more worried about him causing trouble."

"Games," the other guard grunted. "He likes to play with him."

His partner shuddered as he opened a thick door. "He creeps me out," he muttered. Jade squinted against the sun's painfully bright light as they passed through the door and onto the palace grounds.

"Well, at least the Necromancer won't be our problem for much longer."

Jade stared into the grey depths of the ocean from the cliff edge and tried to swallow – his mouth had gone dry and the gag was not helping matters. He twisted his hands in the tight manacles and was rewarded with a sharp prod from the guard. "None of that now," he hissed.

There were footsteps behind them and a soft, imperious voice spoke. "Turn him." The guards obliged and Jade found himself staring down at a shorter fat man dressed in rich robes of red trimmed with gold – the self claimed new Emperor of Malkuth, the cause of everything that had gone wrong, Voris.

Jade took no enjoyment from killing. If the need for it arose, he would do it for duty or self-preservation. He was a soldier, but he never took any pleasure in killing. However, he longed to thrust his spear into Voris' flabby body and watch the man's greedy little eyes fill with fear and pain.

Voris seemed the very picture of joy as he turned away from Jade with a smile to face the crowds. Jade followed his gaze and his anger grew hotter. He could see Emperor Peony seated on the makeshift throne that was used for outdoor occasions; he was bound to it. The mockery was clear.

"We are here to witness the execution of Jade Curtiss," Voris said. "The vile criminal who dared to betray the throne, the very Necromancer of Malkuth. I have no doubt that many of you will feel safer with this monster's death."

Peony met Jade's stare, his eyes wide and his face sickened. Jade was just relieved that his close friend was at least alive. He turned his attention back to Voris' speech, feeling the hot anger well up again.

"Let this be a lesson to any who would attempt to bring an end to the new glory of Malkuth, who would try to conceive an end to the bringing of new prosperity."

Voris turned back to the guards. "Attach the chain." He lifted one ring-adorned hand and placed his thick fingers around Jade's chin, forcing his face down to look at him. Jade stared down at him with every ounce of disgust he could muster. "There are many who have a nasty habit of floating." He gestured down and Jade saw that a metal ball was being attached to his ankle chains. "We don't want that. You are to be nothing but food for the fish."

The guards now with some effort, forced Jade right to the edge of the cliff. "Do you have any last words?" Voris asked. Silence reigned and was broken by Voris chortling. "I suppose not," he said quietly, smiling at the gag. "But I think we can pass on that little formality." He raised his voice. "End this," he said, his voice now laced with boredom. "I think we have let these proceedings go on quite long enough."

Jade realised that his breath had quickened and he tried to steady himself. He needed to be calm, take a deep breath before he hit the water. Every second was a chance for survival, though he was at a loss as to how he was going to save himself from this disaster. The guards pushed at him and he made a vain attempt at resistance and then…the ground was gone. Air rushed past him and the ocean was rushing up to meet him. The cold, dark ocean…get a hold of yourself, Jade chided himself. Deep breath, deep breath. He managed to take a quick breath through his nose before hitting the ocean's surface. The water quickly closed over his head, but he had his one breath. It was not as large as he hoped, but it was something.

He was sinking fast, the weight of the ball dragging him down. He tried wriggling his wrists, but the manacles were too tight. He tried to kick his legs but the chain ball and the water's resistance swiftly put an end to that effort. His mouth was wet. Water was coming in through the gag. His body was demanding breath and Jade started to feel the unfamiliar feeling of panic. No, no! Panic would not help. Shaking, wild thoughts…shortness of breath…the signs of panic quickly passed through Jade's mind as his lungs finally gained control. He choked and water flooded into his mouth. He instinctively tried to spit the salty water out only to let more water in. Stupid, stupid. He felt sand and rock under him; he'd hit the bottom. His mind had gone blank, yet another unfamiliar feeling, blank except for the vague thought that drowning really was a horrible way to go. A searing pain was in his chest and his head was pounding. Despite his best efforts, his body had taken control and was trying to gain the one thing that would save him, air. I'm sorry Peony…everyone…Jade thought as blackness took him.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.2

The spot was a fairly good one Guy had to admit. He would have been happier if he could have been even closer to the ocean, but at least from this vantage point, he could basically see what was happening on the cliff with very little risk of being spotted. He scowled at the brilliantly blue sky before turning his attention back the proceedings upon the cliff. The weather had no right being this beautiful on a day like this, he thought. He spotted Jade's thankfully upright figure and in front of him a shorter, rounder figure that Guy guessed was Voris. The name caused him to clench his fist around where his sword hilt normally was. The sword lay beside him in the grass. It would only be a hindrance when he would try to rescue Jade. His gaze slid along the cliff over to the sombre crowd before staring at Grand Chokmah in the distance.

"Please let Luke and Tear pull this off safely," he murmured to himself before dragging his gaze back to the cliff. Voris' voice floated down, but he couldn't quite make out the words. He shifted nervously as Jade was turned and forced to the edge. "Come on guys. Any time now," he muttered glancing back at Grand Chokmah. He turned his attention back to Jade just in time to see him pushed off the edge. With difficulty he resisted the impulse to rush forward and moved slowly and carefully towards the shore. He didn't want any sudden movements that might catch someone's attention. What were they doing? Had something gone wrong? Guy went cold at the thought. A sudden thunderous roar and echoing boom shattered the silence that had fallen over the area. There was an uproar from the cliff top. Guy looked back to see a pillar of smoke rising from Grand Chokmah and a red haze over a section of the city. The crowd and Voris started making noisy progress back to the city. Guy heaved a sigh of relief. They'd done it. Now it was his turn.

He ran to the shore and waded until he could dive in and swam swiftly to the spot where he thought Jade went down. He spotted a shape in the gloom of the ocean and resisted speeding up. He couldn't tire himself out if he wanted to help Jade. He reached Jade's still form and felt a small shock at seeing the man in such a helpless position. Jade lay on his side, his hands bound behind him. A gag had been stuffed into his mouth and tied tightly around the back. His hair floated eerily around his pale face. Guy manoeuvred to Jade's ankles where they were bound by a chain. He scowled angrily at the chain attached to a heavy looking ball of metal. He pulled out a piece of wire and jiggled it around the lock binding the chain to Jade's ankle chains, praying all the while that he wasn't rescuing a corpse. The lock sprang open and Guy shoved away the chain, which sank back into the sand. He then linked an arm around Jade's and started pulling him up through the water.

It was hard, very hard. Guy had already spent longer than he would have liked under the water and Jade's water logged clothing was adding much unneeded weight. He could feel his lungs starting to demand air. That would be fine irony to drown while trying to rescue someone who was drowning. He broke the surface with a loud gasp, and started to greedily gulp down air. Jade, however wasn't breathing. Guy dragged him through the water until he could awkwardly lay him on the shore. He left Jade half in the water more concerned with getting Jade to breathe rather than getting him onto dry land. He was already soaked anyway.

"Come on, Jade. Don't let this be a wasted effort. We need you." He pulled out a small knife and cut off the gag and flung it viciously to the side. He then pressed his hands to Jade's chest and pushed. "Come on…" He forced Jade's mouth open to give him air, feeling slightly odd at performing the procedure on the older and seemingly invulnerable man. Jade lay limply on the sand dead to the world. Guy continued his ministrations, starting to feel the edges of panic. Jade wasn't waking up. Was he too late? Just as he was losing hope, he tried one more time and was rewarded with a gasp. He leaned back as Jade's eyes flew open. Guy winced sympathetically as Jade tried to sit up but was prevented by his bound hands and his own weakness. Guy managed to sit him up just as a coughing fit tore through him and he retched up water. His coughing subsided and he started taking deep shuddering breaths. Guy sighed with relief thanking his training in maritime rescue.

Jade looked sideways at Guy, his face drawn, his eyes tired. Water ran off his clothing and dripped from his hair. Guy blinked unused to seeing Jade's current appearance. "I would greatly appreciate it if you could remove these manacles," he said, his voice raspy.

"Oh right," Guy replied still thankful that Jade was _alive_. He pulled out the wire again and swiftly removed the manacles.

"Thank you Guy," Jade said quietly while massaging his sore and swollen wrists.

"I was worried we'd lost you," Guy said still looking worriedly at the Colonel. "You still look half dead." Guy rose to his feet. "Wait here." He walked away from Jade back to his vantage point. He scooped up his sword and a water skin then returned to Jade who was sitting, his shoulder slumped with weariness.

"Here. You need to drink." Guy passed the bag to Jade. He sipped at it slowly, though Guy could tell that he was trying to resist gulping it down. He passed the bag back to Guy.

"We really need to get out of here," Guy said hesitantly, not wanting to disturb his tired friend but knowing they were in danger. Jade nodded and slowly rose to his feet. He swayed slightly but managed to steady himself. "We're meeting Luke and Tear in a copse of trees a ways away from the city," Guy explained.

"So they are here as well."

"They were part of the rescue plan. I just hope they made it out alright." Guy said, his voice tinged with concern.

"Tear is an intelligent and capable woman," Jade responded.

"Yeah? What about Luke?" Guy asked with a chuckle.

"He has his uses as well," Jade said with an attempt at a light tone, but his voice was still rough. He stumbled in the sand, but Guy caught his arm and prevented him from falling. Jade irritably brushed a wet strand of hair clinging to his face away while trying to steady himself. The sand was starting to spin and for a moment Jade thought he was in his jail cell. No, he was being irrational. Did he really expect to feel instantly better now that he was free? His legs were starting to tremble making walking difficult. He was exhausted…more than exhausted. He felt empty, deadened, though not empty enough according to his roiling stomach.

He realised that Guy was speaking and forced his attention to the young man. "We can take a break just over there. We'll just get off this beach." Ah, he was trying to support him, encourage him. When had he taken his arm to help him? He was not an invalid. He stumbled and would have fallen if Guy hadn't been holding onto him. On the other hand, perhaps this was the only logical option. The grass was supposed to be ahead but it seemed to keep spinning away from him. Only feeling the ground change under his feet told him that they had left the beach.

"Here. Let's just sit down for a bit," Guy said. Then they must have made it. Guy released his grip on Jade causing him to nearly pitch forward. "Whoa. Okay, let me help you." Guy said apologetically and lowered Jade to the ground.

The sun shone around them yet Jade felt as though he was once more in his cell. He was cold, very, very cold. He wanted nothing more than to lie down on the grass and cling to the ground to stop it from spinning away from him, close his eyes…sleep…

"Jade!" Jade blinked hard. Guy was crouching in front of him giving him a worried look. "We can't stay here. You have to stay with it."

"I…" His voice shook as he tried to keep his nausea back. "I apologise. We should move on." Move on…he knew they had to, but he really didn't want to move. Guy proffered a hand, and Jade reluctantly took it with a shaking a hand. It was the practical thing to do, but he still felt annoyed at needing the help. Guy pulled him to his feet with little assistance from the trembling Jade.

"Okay," Guy said, his own voice a little weak from the worry and weariness of the day. "We don't have too far to go." What did they do him? Guy thought.

After what seemed an eternity to Jade, they reached a group of trees. Guy led him through a gap and leafy branches and mossy trunks soon surrounded them. The air felt chill to Jade, more chill than it had felt already now that they were out of the sun.

Guy looked around. "Damn, where are they?" He took Jade to the centre. "This is where we were supposed to meet. Here lean against this tree." He helped Jade lower himself to the ground. Jade leaned heavily against the tree trunk shivering violently. Guy leaned back on his heels and studied the trembling man properly for the first time since he had rescued him.

Jade was not a pretty picture. His face was gaunt and white with a greyish tinge; his eyes were sunken and shadowed. His hair was a mess, sticky with salt and sweat and hanging in clumps around his face. His uniform, still left on, no doubt to serve as a symbol of Malkuth's defeat as Jade was executed in it, was tattered and filthy. Jade's appearance was unsettling, but Guy found himself more disturbed by his friend's eyes – hollow, dull. There was no spark of amusement, of life. His look seemed vague and almost lost as though he was unaware of his surroundings. If Guy had passed him in the streets, he was sure he would not have recognised him.

"Is there something I can assist you with?" Jade asked dryly seeming to snap out of his daze, his voice still faint, but at least Guy could detect a hint of Jade's usual sarcastic manner.

"Er, sorry," Guy said awkwardly and hopped to his feet.

Jade watched as Guy started to pace but felt dizzy watching him, or perhaps it was just his illness…Jade let loose a small sigh - that Guy thankfully didn't seem to notice – and looked away. He tried to remember how long it took for the drug's effects to vanish before remembering that the guards had never allowed it to run its full course always reinforcing the dose as Jade started on the road to recovery. He just wished he'd stop shaking, but he was so cold.

Guy suddenly stopped his circuit and gave Jade a look that was mixture of horror and apology. "I'm so sorry. I should have been paying attention." He rummaged around a small pile of bags that Jade only just noticed and pulled out a blanket. "Here, hopefully this'll help," he said passing it to Jade who gratefully took it and wrapped it around himself.

He was utterly exhausted and finally, despite feeling horrible, he could feel his eyes drooping and sleep coming at last. Guy looked over from his sitting position a feet away to see Jade's head bowed over his chest. He smiled slightly, glad that the colonel was finally getting some rest. His smile quickly faded as he wondered where Luke and Tear were. Darkness crept into the small area and Guy battled with himself over getting some sleep himself. He was tired, but he didn't want to leave them defenceless. He settled on staying up and hoping that Luke and Tear would return soon.


End file.
